Ariana Grande‘s new album, eternal sunshine, isn’t exactly what you’d call “retro,” but apparently the album was created while Ariana was under the spell of a certain iconic album that came out back in 1965.
According to Rolling Stone, during a playback of the album for critics in New York City, Ariana revealed that she was obsessively listening to The Beatles‘ groundbreaking album Rubber Soul, which has been credited with nothing less than reinventing pop music with its honest, adult lyrics and sonic experimentation.
The publication reports that Ari pointed out that the flutes you hear during the break in her #1 hit “yes, and?” were inspired by The Beatles, and on the album version of the song, she turned them up so people would be sure to hear them.
Ariana also pointed to two other Rubber Soul-inspired moments on the album, writes Rolling Stone: the psychedelic feel of the first track, “Intro (End of the World),” and the guitars on “Imperfect for You.”
During her track-by-track interview with Zach Sang, Ariana further noted that “Imperfect for You” had “trippy, Rubber Soul vibes,” adding, “That is kind of my favorite music to listen to, and I don’t think I’ve ever really explored it for myself, but it just felt really fun to lean into it and make something, like, super-trippy ‘60s organic feeling, you know? Just capturing that kind of thing.”
According to Rolling Stone, eternal sunshine is, like Rubber Soul, “the sound of a fearlessly ambitious artist refusing to play it safe, making her bravest, riskiest music yet.”
Meanwhile, Billboard says the album’s on track to debut at #1, earning her a sixth chart-topper — and likely the biggest first-week sales of any album so far this year.
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